About HamRadioLink

HamRadioLink is a self-hosted amateur DMR network. Hotspots and repeaters that speak the HomeBrew protocol (MMDVM, Pi-Star, WPSD, OpenGD77) connect to one master. Group calls on a talkgroup are repeated to every other linked radio that is subscribed to that talkgroup and timeslot. Private calls are routed toward the station that was heard most recently.

The master is HBlink4 by Cort Buffington, N0MJS, the current HomeBrew server from the original HBlink author. HamRadioLink keeps the user directory, device passwords, talkgroups, bans, and OpenBridge peers, and writes the HBlink4 configuration. The stock HBlink4 dashboard stays on the internal network and feeds this page.

Static and dynamic talkgroups

A static talkgroup is one the server subscribes for you all the time. Paste the options string from your device page into the hotspot so the radio only hears those static groups. A dynamic talkgroup is on your allow list: add its number to the hotspot options when you want to hear it. HBlink4 applies that list from the options string. It does not start a BrandMeister-style subscription timer when you key up.

Parrot

Talkgroup 9990 on timeslot 2 is the echo test. A small HomeBrew client stays linked as radio ID 9990001. Key up, unkey, and it plays the voice frames back.

Motorola repeaters

Each MOTOTRBO repeater is given its own IPSC port, key, and talkgroup list. Static groups stay linked. Dynamic groups link on key-up and drop after a timer. Capacity Plus and Linked Capacity Plus are not part of this bridge.

Hytera repeaters

Each Hytera repeater that speaks IP Multi-Site Connect gets three UDP ports and its own bridge into the HomeBrew master. Static groups stay linked. Dynamic groups link on key-up and drop after a timer. The repeater is programmed as a slave. Capacity Max, XPT, and SNMP-only HR106x repeaters are not part of this bridge.

Control-center links

A c-Bridge style CC-CC link can be translated into one talkgroup on this master. The far control center dials TCP 42421, or this server dials them. Voice uses UDP 42422. The link stays up while call traffic can be turned off. It is one conduit to one talkgroup, not a conference of its own.

OpenBridge

Administrators can trunk selected talkgroups to another HBlink4 or HBlink3 server with OpenBridge. Each talkgroup can ride only one trunk. That keeps this server an edge master rather than a transit router.

Other modes

YSF, D-STAR, and XLX are not started by this stack. Those modes need their own reflectors (pYSFReflector, XLXD, ircDDBGateway) and, for cross-mode audio, a transcoder such as MMDVM_Bridge or DVSwitch. Codec conversion is a separate operational choice and is left out of the default deployment on purpose.

Point a hotspot at master.hamradiolink.net UDP 62031 after your account and device are approved. The device page shows the password and options string.